


Love is Not a Race

by rainbowshirbert



Series: Buried Hopes (AnnE Oneshots) [10]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Shirbert, i guess a tiny bit of angst, idk if i like this, it's moody's bday, ruby still has a crush on gilbert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26038417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowshirbert/pseuds/rainbowshirbert
Summary: Anne and Gilbert are paired for a three-legged-race, and Anne is not happy. Modern AU
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Series: Buried Hopes (AnnE Oneshots) [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684312
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	Love is Not a Race

**Author's Note:**

> UM I HALF HATE THIS HALF LIKE IT SO IDK
> 
> I feel like Anne's kinda extra bitchy to Gilbert so prepare yourselves, I don't know if I like how I wrote her but it's the only way it fits the scene so whatever I guess
> 
> not proofread so sorry for grammar errors
> 
> also my first time writing a Shirbert modern AU and I feel like it'll be my last lol I wanna stay in my lane 
> 
> it was only a modern au bc my friend helped me decide and I wanted Anne to swear which she like...barely did but ok
> 
> anyway enjoy!

“Happy birthday Moody!” Anne ran down the hills of the Spurgeons yard, holding her large present in front of her until it slammed into the birthday boy’s chest. Moody laughed and put it on the table.

“Thanks.” He looked at Diana, who was walking much slower behind Anne and swallowed. “Um, hi Diana.”

Anne’s best friend waved as she made her way down and handed her small bag overflowing with tissue paper to Moody. 

“Happy birthday,” Diana said, smiled, and then gestured toward where Ruby was watching them. They went off to join her, but not before Anne caught Moody looking after them with a mournful expression. 

“Where’s Gilbert?” Ruby hissed as soon as the two girls were within earshot. “I only came because I knew he and Moody were friends.”

“That’s not nice, Ruby,” Diana said.

“Well, Moody only invited Anne because he knew you would only come if she did,” Ruby said, crossing her arms over her chest. She had on the pink blouse Anne knew she always wore when she thought she looked particularly pretty, her hair blown out and face done with makeup. 

“That’s not true,” Diana retorted. “Moody and Anne are friends.”

“Maybe, but he definitely wants to be more than that with you,” Ruby said, her eyes firmly on the hill from the top of the property. “I swear, if he takes one more minute I’m leaving!”  
But of course Gilbert Blythe descended the hill at that very second, casually dressed in jeans and a sweater for the crisp September air. Anne averted her eyes the second he came into view, but Ruby’s face contorted into the brightest smile.

“He’s here! Alright, what should I do? Should I say hi or wait for him to come to me? This is so much easier to do over text. I’m the one able to drive him crazy by waiting at least 12 hours before answering anything he says.”

Anne huffed and walked from Ruby, leaving her to grab onto Tillie’s arm and beg for some help.

“I don’t get why she likes him so much,” she told Diana angrily as they grabbed lemonade. Gilbert was greeting Moody with a gentle smile, waving at Charlie as he walked past. “He’s so...ugh!”

Diana laughed. “Maybe if you gave him a chance, you may like him. You both love to read.”

“Never. He’s a spawn from hell, I’m telling you. Who pulls on a girl’s hair when they first meet?”

“That was two years ago, and didn’t he apologize?”

“I don’t care if he did, because he still did it in front of the whole class.” What she didn’t tell Diana is that it was easier to hate Gilbert than try to be friends with him, because it meant Ruby had no reason to hate her. And even though she and Ruby were friends now, Anne knew one small infracture could shatter the trust she’d tried so hard to build.

Diana pressed her lips together and didn’t comment further, sipping her lemonade as they watched Ruby walk up to Gilbert, then turn around once she was a foot from him and shake her head at Josie Pye.

Apparently Gilbert was the last to arrive, because Moody was gathering everyone towards him.

“I know it’s stupid, but my parents really want to do a three legged race because that’s how they met or something,” Moody said, ignoring Josie’s snicker. “So we can pick partners.”  
“Ruby should ask for Gilbert to be hers,” Diana whispered, starting to move toward her, but then Moody was asking for her to be his partner, and she froze, nodding robotically.

Anne watched as Ruby stared at Gilbert, gripping onto Tillie’s hand, but the two Pauls came toward them and asked them each to partner with them, and she grimaced as she seemed to nod.

Anne watched as everyone seemed to pair up and just kind of...stood there. Usually she and Moody were the last ones picked because he was so clumsy and she talked too much, but now he was the center of attention and it seemed she was left with only Billy or…

Gilbert was suddenly walking. Towards her. Gilbert Blythe was walking towards her. 

She couldn’t. She would never work with Gilbert Blythe, they would never, ever be a team. But he was smiling in his red plaid sweater that would look super weird on anyone but him and asking her to partner up, and well, her options were him or Billy, so she found herself nodding.

How was this happening?

All she could think was “shit, shit shit” as Ruby’s face fell at the sight of the two of them. It was like everyone was staring and judging her as she put the band around her and Gilbert’s feet, struggling not to make eye contact.

“So…” Gilbert said, and Anne tried desperately to crane her head to see Ruby’s expression, hoping she wasn’t crying. Ruby did that. A lot. And Anne hated making her cry.

“No talking, just focus on the race,” Anne said, narrowing her eyes at the stretch of grass in front of them. Moody’s parents had come out and were stretching a band of ribbon about fifty feet away, smiling wildly. 

Moody seemed pretty happy, so Anne supposed maybe this would be alright. She could get through this for her friend’s birthday (even if Ruby was right and she was only invited for Diana to come), and she could definitely win it with no help from Gilbert.

When his parents screamed “Go!” Anne lurched forward, dragging Gilbert behind her.

“Anne, wait, we should have a strategy!” he cried out, but she ignored him, hobbling another few steps ahead of him.

“Anne!”

She continued on.

“I’m going to fall!”

Anne finally turned back to see Gilbert perfectly balanced on his feet, eyebrows scrunched together.

“What’s up with you?” he asked after a beat of silence. When Anne tried to kick her leg tied to his forward, he pulled it back so she stumbled closer. “I don’t get why you hate me.”

Because you humiliated me. Because your love of helping people is infuriating. Because if I don’t hate you, I’m scared I’ll like you. And I definitely can’t like you.

“Let’s just finish the race.”

“Come on, Anne. I want to be friends. Miss Stacey told me herself we’re the most promising students in the class, her exact words.”

“Finish the race,” Anne said in gritted teeth, finally losing her temper and yanking her leg forward. The force cause Gilbert to slip backwards first, then her to the side so she landed in the still slightly damp grass, ruining her new jeans. When she gasped, flailing to look at their still-tied legs, the whole bottom of his jacket had a thin layer of mud.

Anne stared at him, wide eyed, waiting for him to snap. But instead he just laughed, pushing from his arms up so he was standing and extended a hand to her.

Anne looked away at first, but his hand didn’t waver, so she grabbed it and clambered up. Then his hand went around her waist, and when she squirmed, all he said was “For balance,” and she stopped in defeat. 

They weren’t the last ones to the finish line (Moody had fallen three times, his shoes were now unrecognizable), but Anne was sure everyone was definitely looking at them now. But Gilbert just smiled as he untied their feet, patting her on the shoulder.  
“We weren’t half bad. Maybe if we studied together, we’d get As from even Mr. Phillips.”

Anne started to open her mouth, but then she saw Ruby carefully scraping mud from her fingertips and shrugged, walking toward her friend. “I doubt it.”

He shrugged back, and she realized he was mocking her and began to flare up, until he began to walk away, saying, “Maybe one day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to message me!
> 
> Tumblr: @mydramaticflare  
> Twitter: @rainbowsinmay


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